Pakistan says two children killed in "totally unacceptable" Iranian attack

Pakistan said two children were killed and three others injured in an airstrike by neighboring Iran, which Islamabad said was a violation of its airspace. Pakistan said it had summoned Tehran's top diplomat in Islamabad over the incident.

Social media reported the blast in the mountainous province of Balochistan, where the sparsely populated border stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) between the two countries. "Such a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is completely unacceptable and could have serious consequences," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The strike on Tuesday night reportedly "resulted in the death of two innocent children and injured three girls". Iranian state media previously reported that Tehran attacked two bases of the Pakistani armed group "Justice Army". Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency and state television said missiles and drones were used in the attacks. Press TV, the English-language arm of Iran's state broadcaster, blamed Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard for the attack. Tehran made no official comments.

The "Justice Army" Jaish al-Adl has carried out deadly attacks on Iranian border guards since at least 2013 and has previously claimed responsibility for bombings and kidnapping of border police. Iran's Nournews, which is affiliated with the country's top security agency, said the bases were located in Balochistan.

A Pakistani statement did not name the location of the incident, but two Pakistani security officials told The Associated Press that the Iranian attack damaged a mosque in Balochistan's Panjgur district, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border. miles). The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tehran and Islamabad often accuse each other of allowing armed groups to operate in each other's territory. "Pakistan has always stated that terrorism is a common threat faced by all countries in the region and requires concerted action," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Such unilateral action is incompatible with good neighborly relations and will seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence."

On Monday, Iran fired missiles into northern Syria, targeting the Islamic State group and a so-called Israeli "spy headquarters" near the US consulate in the Iraqi city of Erbil. Iraq on Tuesday called the attacks, which killed several civilians, a "flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty" and recalled its ambassador to Tehran.